Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-03-03
FIRE Ar .MrDD1B "a wg


The Town ThK1nten ed n
OOnSlngrstion, tsutBt " IA sveriea
Special Correspondence Of Gazette and journal
MmpLErows, March 1.-The FIRE fieDd
has reached Middletown and, at On hour
In which her citizens were sleeping
soundly. The lire was seen first by thu
train crew shortly teirre O'Clock this
morning, The Norfolk express, norm
bound, was stopped at the depot here
and the telegraph operator notified of the
blaze. who ut once gave the alarm and
had the town been provided with water
and an ordinary hose been convenient, q.
e. Hukill and Sewell Jones could have
subdued the fire when they reached the
| scene.
The large three-siory frame dwelling on
the corner of Main and Scott streets and
| owned by Mrs. W. A. Comegys haa been
unoocupied for some months. mt yes
terday when Mrs. Isaa5 Davis i.ioved
| from the Protestant Episcopal r. ctory
into the dwelling. Mrs. Davi. had
arranged her furniture in all but two
rooms, which were left for to-day The
building had been cleaned last week and
no fire had been made in any OF the
rooms since, and il is believed that the
building was fired by an incendiary.
Nearly the whole male population
promptly responded 10 the startling
alarm and began helping. Col. Charles
Anderson, whose property was adjacent
to the doomed corner house, began to re-
move his household goods to a
place of safety. This was, to o
great extent, hazardous task,
for soon the side of Mr.. Anderson's dwell
ling was sheet of flame, and the rooms
| filled with smoke. Most Of the furniture
was saved, although none Of the unfortu-
nate family's summer clothing, which was
packed away in the third story, was saved.
This dwelling, too, was given up to the
flames when II was seen that it could not
be saved, and the men turned their atten-
ton to the next building, w. L. Burk's
dwelling, and only by great efforts was 1t
saved. On the opposite corner stands the
dwelling of Mrs. l.. A. Price, which, for a
time, was in great danger, but the fire
was prevented from spreading further by
force of willing hands.
Mrs. Comegys' house was insured
through A. q. Cox agency for $4,000.
| The property was valued at $5, 500. On
Mrs. Davis household goods in the
building, there was no insurance, and the
loss to this lady is about $780,
Mr.. Anderson's dwelling was valued OF
% 500, on which there was but 81 900
| insurance.
The general supposition is that the
| origin of the fire was the work of an in
cendiary, as the flames were first dis
covered in shed kitchen, to which
access was easily gained. A lady was
heard TO say that when the first alarm
was given from the depot, she saw a party
hurry from the burning building.
Had the Norfolk express been half an
hour later, as is sometimes the case, it is
doubtful whether Mr.. Anderson and his
family would have escaped with their
lives. So far as Mr.. Burk's house is con-
cerned, if the wind had been west the
men could not have stayed upon his roof
and prevented 1t from being destroyed, in
which case the whole row of buildings, as
far up as the Presbyterian Church, would
have been burned. Fortunately, the
breeze came from The south. east and sent
the flying sparks and heat across the
street to brick buildings covered by tin
roofs, thus giving the people but one con
Germ, that of the National hotel stables
A watch was placed over them and tn,
yards, and all danger was averted.
So threatening were the flames at one
time that Wilmington was photographed
for aid. The Reliance and Phoenix com
panien were at the freight station ready
to depart when word was sent that thu
| Hra xuaa undar cnntrol